This invention relates to a tape dispensing device and more specifically, to a manual, portable dispensing apparatus for use with a roll of stretchable adhesive tape.
A number of manufacturing and distribution settings typically require that packages or products be grouped together to facilitate the handling, loading, shipping and storage of the packages or products. The grouping of these products is commonly known as "unitizing".
There are a number of methods which unitize products. One such method is palletization, which generally involves placing a number of boxed items on a pallet in a cube or other rectangular array. Normally the array of boxed items are strapped or wrapped to the pallet to ensure the lateral stability of the array during the shipping and loading of the pallet. "Bundling" is another unitizing method which generally involves strapping or wrapping a number of products together. A number of other unitizing methods also require the use of either a strapping or wrapping material.
Recently an adhesive tape was developed to provide an efficient way to strap products and packages. A description of this adhesive tape is provided in Assignee's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/802,061, filed Dec. 10, 1992, which is a Continuation-in-Part of Assignee's abandoned U.S. application Ser. No. 07/632,173, filed Dec. 20, 1990; Assignee's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/731,341, filed on Jul. 19, 1991; and Assignee's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/892,220, filed on Jun. 2, 1992, all of which are fully incorporated herein by reference thereto. The adhesive tape is stretchable and is comprised of a highly extensible, substantially non-recoverable backing which has a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive on at least one of its surfaces. The pressure sensitive adhesive has sufficient shear strength and adhesive holding power to adhere to small regions of the objects to which the unstretched tape is attached. This adhesive property of the tape, however, is greatly reduced when the tape is stretched or elongated to several times its original length, for example 600-800%. Essentially the tape becomes "detackified" when the tape is elongated. This detackification is beneficial because it greatly reduces the damage that the adhesive could cause to an object surrounded by the tape when the tape is removed from the object.
The elongation of the tape provides other important benefits beyond inducing detackification. First, the tensile strength of the tape increases when the tape is elongated. Accordingly, the tape can be used in strapping methods which require a high tensile strength strap. Secondly, the elongation of the tape reduces the quantity of tape that is needed for a given unitizing application, thereby reducing the cost of each application. Furthermore, the amount of material which must be recycled or placed in a landfill is also reduced.
The stretchable adhesive tape has proven to be useful in a variety of unitizing procedures. For example, the tape can easily be incorporated to strap an array of objects on a pallet. First, an unstretched tackified portion of the tape is applied to a first object. Once secured, the tape is stretched to induce detackification and wrapped around the remaining objects. Finally, a portion of unstretched tape is adhered to an object in the group to anchor the stretched detackified tape. As applied above, the tape provides stability to the objects during the shipping and handling of the pallet. The tape can easily be removed from the pallet when the pallet reaches it's destination by merely releasing the adhering portions of the tape from the object(s). A more detailed description of a palletization method like the one described above is provided in Assignee's above-referenced co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/731,341, filed on Jul. 19, 1991.
A detailed description of an automatic machine that utilizes the stretchable adhesive tape to palletize objects is disclosed in Assignee's above-referenced co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/892,220, filed on Jun. 2, 1992. The unitizing machine has a rotating turntable upon which an array of objects are stacked. A taping head is located adjacent the turntable and is connected to a vertical movement means such that the taping head can be moved vertically with respect to the array of objects. The taping head advances the tape through a stretch station and feeds the tape to the array of objects. A programmable controller simultaneously controls, among other things, the amount of stretch performed by the taping head, the vertical motion of the taping head, and the rotation of the turntable to palletize the array of objects.
The automatic machine, however, is not readily portable and cannot be manually manipulated to wrap a variety of objects. Accordingly, it maybe difficult to utilize the automatic machine in a number of unitizing procedures. In addition, the automatic machine may be prohibitively expensive for a user that performs a relatively small number of palletization procedures.
There are a number of other devices that dispense materials in a stretched condition. U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,514 to Lancaster et al. discloses one such device designed in part to stretch a film of material used in a wrapping process. In Lancaster et al., object(s) are placed within the confines of an apparatus and an arm is vertically revolved around the object(s). An upstream roller, a downstream roller, and a drive member are attached to the arm. The arm has a manual gravity switch that includes a spring to bias the downstream roller member together with the drive member when the arm is rotating vertically upward around the object(s). The upstream roller is driven at a slower speed than the downstream roller when the downstream roller is biased against the drive member. Therefore, the film is stretched between the downstream roller and the upstream roller when the arm is rotated vertically upward. The film is stretched so that it places a compressive force upon the object(s) contained in the film.
The stretch film usable with the device in Lancaster et al. is designed to completely wrap or "cocoon" objects, whereas stretchable adhesive tape contacts discreet portions of each object. Accordingly, a stretch film unitizing procedure requires the use of a substantial amount of material. In addition, separate means for adhering the stretch film to the object is required because the stretch film has no inherent adhesive means. In addition, the device of Lancaster et al. is not readily portable and is somewhat cumbersome to use.
Stretchable adhesive tape can be utilized in a large variety of packaging procedures. Therefore, it can be seen that there is a need for a portable manual tape dispensing apparatus for use with a stretchable adhesive tape such as of the type that detackifies when stretched. The apparatus should be sufficiently small and easy to use to enable an operator to manipulate the apparatus about a variety of packages or objects.